NEWS RELEASE

Historic Accessible Canada Act Tabled in Parliament

New Westminster, B.C., June 20, 2018 -The Accessible Canada Act was passed today in Ottawa, marking an historic day for people with disabilities across Canada.

Bill C-81 The Accessible Canada Act: An Act to Ensure a Barrier-free Canada was introduced to Parliament by the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities.

Read the Government of Canada news release here.

The Canadian Association for Community Living (our national federation) has responded to the announcement. Read their release here.

Inclusion BC Executive Director Faith Bodnar says, “The new Accessible Canada Act is a watershed for our country as it sets out the expectation and presumption of inclusion for Canadians with disabilities. The Act will propel Canada forward as we reach our goal of being a truly inclusive country that values all citizens, while also ensuring that they have access to supports and services they need.”

The act aims to create a barrier-free Canada “through the proactive identification, removal, and prevention of barriers to accessibility wherever Canadians interact with areas under federal jurisdiction.”

Expanded Coverage for Aircasts/Walking Boots

Disability Alliance BC (DABC), effective May 2018, the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction will provide funding for aircasts/walking boots for people who are eligible for health supplements. Eligible individuals include:

• Recipients of Persons with Disabilities (PWD) benefits
• Recipients of Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers to Employment benefits (PPMB)
• Income Assistance and PWD recipients residing in special care facilities
• People who have a life threatening health need

DABC is encouraged by this expansion of health supports for people with disabilities and thank Minister Shane Simpson for his leadership in introducing this much needed policy improvement. DABC recognizes that many British Columbians with disabilities continue to experience barriers accessing other needed medical equipment and services and will continue to share our concerns about this with the Minister and his staff.

Dear Community Partner,

The following is taken from a Reminder Notice in the Annual Statement of Grant Entitlement for 2018 that RDSP holders will receive. We are sharing this with you to help ensure that people with RDSPs are clear about the rules on taking money out of their Plans.

As 2019 is approaching some people will have had an RDSP for 10 years and may be thinking about taking money out of their Savings Plan.

It’s important to remember that the money the government deposits into an RDSP must remain in it for at least 10 years after the last government contribution was made to the Plan. If money is withdrawn before this time, all or part of the government contribution will have to be repaid to the government.

What this means is that if a person takes money out of their RDSP within 10 years of receiving the last government contribution they will be subject to one of the following repayment rules:

1. Return $3 of government contributions for every $1 that is withdrawn from the RDSP, or
2. Return all of the government contributions received in the last 10 years; whichever of these two amounts is less.

Please share this information with your networks. If you have any questions or concerns about this information please call Access RDSP at 604-872-1278 or 1-800-663-1278 and ask to speak to an RDSP advocate.

Best regards,

Sam Turcott, Program Director, Advocacy Access

A B.C. bakery is winning hearts, minds and wallets with tasty treats made by bakers with developmental disabilities, who have helped transform the operation from a volunteer opportunity into a paying business.

The Mindful Mouthful Bakery in Duncan, B.C., is now offering slightly more than minimum wage to its 20 bakers, who joined the kitchen as volunteers through a not-for-profit organization.

“It’s a training kitchen for adults with developmental disabilities to teach them life skills (and) cooking skills,” Dominic Rockall, executive director of The Mindful Mouthful, told CTV Vancouver Island. Rockall says the orders are rolling in, with customers eager to pay for tasty products that also support a “great cause.”

Click here to read the full CTV article and view the video.

Celebrate Diverse ABILITIES is created under the guidance of the CLBC Editorial Board, which is made up of self advocates from across the province, as well as family members.

The theme for this edition is “Celebrating Self-Employment” and the stories recognize the different creative ways people are exploring self-employment and starting their own ventures.

Click here to view the CLBC Winter Magazine

From Vibrant Victoria’s Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/vibrantvictoria/posts/10156021577159362)

Handydart services throughout the Capital Region may be halted come Monday.

Drivers have voted to strike if a new wage agreement is not reached over the weekend.

From the union: Greater Victoria handyDART operators and staff who provide transit to people with disabilities to go on full strike Monday morning unless new contract reached with employer First Canada; union says First Canada penalizing long-term workers by denying permanent status to avoid benefits

VICTORIA – Unionized Greater Victoria handyDART operators and staff – who provide handyDART transit service to people with disabilities – will go on full strike Monday morning unless a new contract is reached.

Unifor Local 333BC says that despite an overwhelming 97% vote to strike if necessary and lengthy negotiations, employer First Canada continues to want to penalize operators who work full-time but are being denied permanent status to avoid them receiving the benefits other operators receive.

“We deeply regret the obvious inconvenience and disruption that job action will mean for people with disabilities who depend on handyDART but our members have done all they can to reach a negotiated settlement – and First Canada insists on treating many of our members as second-class citizens,” says Unifor Local 333BC President Ben Williams, adding that while others issues are outstanding, the union feels they can be resolved in talks.

“We remain hopeful a new contract that treats all workers fairly can be reached before Monday morning and we will meet through the weekend if necessary – but without a tentative collective agreement there will be a full-scale strike,” Williams said.

The union and First Canada will respect previous essential service designations to provide very limited transit in the event of a strike, Williams added.

“We encourage all handyDART riders to contact BC Transit, contact First Canada and contact their MLA to express their support for treating transit operators fairly and settling this dispute,” Williams said. “Our members have excellent and longtime relationships with many of their riders and a strike is truly a last resort but we have to reach a new deal now.”

Videos for People with Disabilities Who Are Victims of Crime

Disability Alliance BC (DABC) has created a series of short videos on a number of topics on the criminal justice system – how it works and what to expect – in a reader-friendly format for people with low-literacy, and in sign language with captioning for people who are Deaf. These videos will help people with disabilities to increase their understanding of the procedures and processes they will go through if they have been a victim of a crime. The videos are also intended to help the victim support worker to communicate important information to the victim/survivor in a more effective way and to support them better throughout the process.

Click here for more information